M/S Society Explorer 



*WDlfgang Koehler/Society Expeditions Cruises 



ISLANDS 



of the Flores Sea 



and Tbr^aland 



An adventure cruise to 

 Bali, Lombok, Toraja- 

 land, Kabaena, Flores, 

 Komodo, Satonda, and 

 Labuan Haji Reef 



(with optional Yogyakarta 

 and Borobudur extension) 



Departing August 30, 1989 



15 days 



Leader: Dr. Harold Voris 



Aug. 30: Depart Chicago O'Hare to Los 

 Angeles. Evening departure to Denpasar 

 Aug. 31: Cross International Date Line. 

 Sept. 1: Bali. Morning arrival in Denpasar 

 Transfer to hotel on the "island of a thousand 

 temples." Day at leisure visiting this mystical 

 island. 



Sept. 2: Bali. Day at leisure exploring Bali, per- 

 haps journeying to mountain villages where 

 age-old traditions still flourish. Handicrafts may 

 be found in Mas. the woodcarving center, or 

 Ubud, the village known for traditional Balinese 

 paintings. Feast tonight on Balinese specialties 

 and delight in a festive dance performance. 

 Sept. 3: Ball/ Society Explorer. Spend the morn- 

 30 ing exploring on your own, perhaps surveying 



Balinese art from prehistoric times to the 20th 

 century in the Bali Museum. This afternoon, 

 board the Society Explorer and en|oy a fiery 

 Indonesian sunset as we cruise past local 

 villages. 



Sept. 4: Lombok Island. Traveling overland, 

 experience the contrast of this island — where 

 lush rice fields border and plains and sparkling 

 mosques dominate rural villages. With Bali to 

 the east, Lomboks history and culture are in- 

 timately tied to her neighbor The deep strait 

 between Bali and Lombok marks "Wallace's 

 Line," named after naturalist Sir Alfred Wallace. 

 Witness, as Wallace did, the differences that 

 exist between islands east and west of the line. 

 This evening enjoy the captain's Welcome 

 Dinner 



Sept. 5: Cruising the Flores Sea. 

 Sept. 6. 7: Palopo/Torajaland. Disembark the 

 ship in Palopo and travel through steep, rice- 

 terraced slopes and rugged mountain peaks to 

 isolated Torajaland. The Torajas. who believe 

 they are descended from the stars, have a 

 unique culture based on animistic beliefs and 

 are perhaps best known for their colorful funeral 

 ceremonies. One of the most striking features of 

 the Toraja landscape is their unique architec- 

 ture. The sweeping gables of their thatched- 

 roofed homes rise at both ends like the bow 

 and stern of a boat. Their ritual chants compare 

 these homes to the ships that carried their 

 ancestors here. On our excursion, we travel by 

 land rover or small bus and overnight in best 

 accommodations available. 

 Sept. 8: Kabaena Island. Expedition stop to- 

 day Sally out in Zodiacs to fish in Kabaena's 

 rich waters and explore its seldom-visited vil- 

 lage. Beautiful beaches and coral reefs provide 

 excellent snorkeling and diving opportunities. 

 Sept. 9: Larantuka. Flores Island. With 

 cameras ready be sure to scramble topside as 

 we cruise through the picturesque Larantuka 

 Narrows enroute to Flores. Flanked by rolling 



tropical forests. Flores s spine is a ridge of rug- 

 ged mountains that is punctuated by steaming 

 volcanoes. Upon arrival, we're greeted by the 

 village chief and his tribe who request that we 

 join in their sacred ceremony and traditional 

 dancing. After a tour of the village, enjoy hear- 

 ing the Florenese sing in complicated four-part 

 harmonies found nowhere else in the world. 



Sept. 10: Komodo Island. Called the "Island of 

 the Dragons. " Komodo is the natural habitat of 

 the sole survivor of the dinosaur Reaching ten 

 feet in length and 300 pounds, the Komodo 

 "dragon" has a life expectancy of 150 years. 

 Its yellow-orange forked tongue, lagged teeth, 

 and fearsome jaws give it an almost mythical 

 appearance and many believe that a similar 

 creature was the model for the Chinese dragon. 

 Upon arrival, we are met by National Park rang- 

 ers who guide us to prime observation point to 

 see these unusual creatures feed. We also 

 hope to spot masked cuckoo shrikes, spangled 

 drongos. and cockatoos in the forest. Excellent 

 snorkeling and diving may be available over a 

 nearby coral reef as well as swimming from the 

 beautiful beach. 



Sept. 1 1: Satonda Islands/Labuan Haji Reef. 

 Visit Satonda. a tiny island located off Sumba- 

 wa's northeast coast. Walk the beautiful shell- 

 strewn beaches, visit with the local people, or 

 dive in the rich waters. This afternoon we'll 

 make an expedition stop at Labuan Haji Reef. 

 Tonight, the captain hosts a Farewell Dinner 

 Sept. 12: Disembark the ship and spend time 

 in the colorful fruit and vegetable markets of 

 Denpasar Spend the rest of the afternoon 

 exploring the town at leisure. Overnight in our 

 deluxe hotel. 



Sept. 13: Bali/Los Angeles. Afternoon depar- 

 ture from Denpasar arriving in Los Angeles the 

 same evening. (We have regained the lost day 

 by crossing back over the International Date 

 Line). Optional overnight in Los Angeles with 

 morning return to Chicago September 14. 



